Pneumatic-despatch tube



2 sheets sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. JACQUES. PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE.

Patented Sept. 7,1897.

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No. 589,781. 7 Patented Sept. 7,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT JAMES JACQUES, or LOWELL, MAssAcnUsEr'rs.

PNEUMATlC-DESPATCH TUB E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 589,781, dat d Sep '7,1897. Application filed May 11, 1896. Serial No. 591,030. (No model.)

To CLZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES JACQUES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inPneumatic-Despatch Tubes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pneumaticdespatch tubes; and it consists in thedevices and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In United States Patent No. 564,427, granted to me July 21, 1896, I haveshown a main line of tubing having sidings or short branches at thedifferent outlying stations, each siding being normally disconnectedfrom the main line by a mechanical switch, and a series of send-oilboxes at the central station equal in number to the outlying stations,and means whereby the opening of any send-off box will connect thesiding at the corresponding outlying station with the main line, theswitch being opened when an armature scoured thereto is attracted by anelcotromagnet arranged in an open electric circuit adapted to be closedby the opening of said send-off box, and substantially the samecombination is shown herein, but not herein claimed.

In the apparatus shown and described in the present application thedischarge of the carrier at the outlying station causes the switch to berestored to position to disconnect the siding from the main line byclosing an other electric circuit containing another electromagnet whichattracts in the opposite di rection from that above referred to anarmature carried by said switch, preferably the same armature as is usedin connecting the siding to the main line.

In the system herein described a signal device at the central stationmay be operated by the closing of the electric circuit last named toshow that the carrier is delivered at the outlying station and that themain line of tubing is open.

The system is shown in the drawings as arranged for a cash-carrier, butmay be used for any of the purposes of a pneumatic-despatchtube system.

In the accompanying drawings, on two sheets, Figure l. is a frontelevation of a central station and two outlying stations provided withmy improvement; Fig. 2, a side elevation of two send-off boxes at acentral station and a receiving-box at an outlying station, saidreceiving-box and a part of said despatch-tube being in central verticalsection and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the electriccircuits, including the battery, circuit-closers, electromagnets, andalarm device, and the mechanical switches, which normally disconnect thesiding from the main line.

In Fig. 1, A is a central station, as a cashiers desk in a store; A Aoutlying stations, as salemens stations at a counter A 0, a continuousmain line of tubing extending from the central station A through all theoutlying stations A A and back to the central station; D, a fan orblower which sends a constant current through the main line C in thedirect-ion indicated by the arrows adjacent to said main line and out atthe usual vent-pipe 0 near the end of said line at said central station,the momentum of the carrier F carrying it past said vent-pipe and into asuitable receiver E at said central station, these parts being of theusual construction and as shown in said previous patent.

At the cashiers desk or other central station there are as manysend-offs G as there are outlying stations, each consisting of a shortbranch pipe'g, leading into the main line and beveled at g g at its freeend on opposite sides, a box or funnel 9 formed in halves g g and havingtwo leaves g 9 which normally rest upon and lit the bevels g g, and thusclose the said free end of said branch pipe 9, and springs g g, whichconnect the halves g g of said box 9 to said branchpipe g and keep themclosed. The bottom 9 glof each half of the box g is inclined, so that acylindrical carrier F, of the usual construction, may be forced into andthrough the box and into the branch 1, the halves of said box separatingto allow of this. At each outlying station there is a similar send-offGr G connected by a branch c c to the main line, through which a carriermay be sent from such station to the central station.

At each outlying station A A is arranged a branch or siding 0 0 theentrance to which is normally closed by a mechanical switch H" 11 eachbeing represented as a flap or gate or generator.

lb, Fig. 2, capable of closing either the main line or the entrance tothe siding, said flap being rigidly secured to a shaft orpivot h at theacute angle where said siding leaves said 7 own conducting-wire L L toone pole of the.

battery or electric generator 13, and all said magnets M are connectedby the single return-wire L to the other pole of said battery In eachconductor L L is arranged at the central'station a normally opencircuit-closer N N consisting of a pair of springs 72 'n,insulated atR2013 from each-otherand from the corresponding send-oft, which "ispreferably of metal, but so supported on said send-oft that theopeningot said send-off by thrustinga carrier therein crowds the springs n nintocontact and closes the circuit through the correspondingeiectromagnet M and swings the corresponding gate h in such a manner asto make :the adjacent siding continuous with the main line, as indicatedby dotted lines in'Fig. 2, the normal position of said gate being shownby full lines in said Fig. 2. Inpracticethe carrier is marked toindicate the outlyingstation to which it belongs, and the correspondingsend-off is similarly marked.

The above-described parts are -or may be all as shown and described insaid previous patent in construction and operation except that in saidpatentthe flap or gate h is represented as provided with a finger whichprojectsin to the siding when the siding-is opened into the main lineand which is struck by the carrier in passing to restore the fiapto itsnormal position and to disconnect said siding from said main line. NVhenthe flap or Lgate h is opened, it will be held open by the pressure ofthe current of air, or may beheld open by a spring-pawl actinguponoppositely-beveled surfaces of the pivot of said flap or gate, asshown in said previous patent.

In the system herein shown and described the free outer end of eachsiding is provided with a discharge-box or discharger J J, which may,forcon-veniencc, be in construction precisely like the send-offs G G Gabove described, (and is so represented'in Fig. 2, although the funuelshaped part of said discharger-J J below the horizontal-dotted line jin said Fig. 2 serves no necessary purpose,) and said discharger J Jsupports a normally open circuit-closer N N", as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,(precisely like the circuit-closers N N above described,) and adapted tobe closed by a carrier passing through said dischargerthat is, by theopening of the halves of said .dischargerj ustas the circuitclosers N Nare closed by opening the send-offs. At each switch H 11 1s anotherelectromagnet M, ar-

ranged on the opposite side of the armature m from the electromagnet ;Mat the same switch and connected :by a conducting-wire Z Z to thecircuit-closers N N and then to the wire Z which runs to one pole of thebattery or electric generator B and by a common wire Z to the other poleof said battery, Figs. 2 and 3, so that when a carrier is-dischargedfrom a siding the circuit is closed through the corresponding magnet Mand the flap or switch is restored to position or disconnects saidsiding from the main line.

An audible electric signal, asa buzz-bell or other electric bell S, isarranged in the line Z between the battery '13. at the central stationand the nearest outlying station, so that the V operator at the centralstation is notified of the safe arrival 'of the carrierand the openingof the main line.

The drop-box E is of ordinary construction, is like the box-receiver ordrop-box E at the central-station, and hasia butter or-cushion e onwhich the carrier falls from the discharger J.

I claim'as my invention in .a pneumatic-dc spatch-tube system- 1. Thecombination of a main line of -tubingconnectinga centralstationwithanoutlyingstation, a siding orbranch at said outlying-station, ainechanical switch adapted to be-opened toconnectsaid main lineand saidsiding, an :elect-romagnet having anarmature movable with said switch,an'electric circuit including said :magnet, a circuit-closer in saidcircuit arranged atsaid siding and normally open but closed by thepassage of a carrier through said sidingto close said switchand todisconnect said main line and said siding, as and for the purposespecified.

2; The combination of amain line of tub ing connecting acentral-stationwith an outlying station, a siding-or branch at said outlying station,;a mechanical switch adapted to be opened to connectsaid main line andsaid siding, an electromagnet havingan armature movable with saidswitch, an .electric circuit including said magnet,.a circuit-closer insaid circuit arranged beyondsaid switch andnormally open, but closed bythe passage of a carrier through said siding .toclose said switch and todisconnect saidmain lineand said siding, as and for the purposespecified.

In witness whereof I have signedthis specification, in the presenceoftwo attesting witnesses, this 6th day of May, A. 5D. 1896.

JAMES JACQUES.

Witnesses:

ALBERT M. Moons, 'IIAWVTIIORNE DREW.

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